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U.S. Reviewing Arab Boycott for Clarity

It seems that the United States are set to review the anti-Israel Arab League boycott to clarify certain provisions in an era of increased globalization, with Arab countries seeking to join the World Trade Organization having to declare that they will end their participation in the boycott before they can actually join the WTO.

Since the late 1970s it has been official United States policy that for an American company to comply with the illegal Arab League boycott of all things Israeli, is itself an illegal act. But many American companies have often managed to get around the boycott restrictions through loopholes and lax enforcement, and still others have complied but have not been sure as to what exactly U.S. law says can and can?t be done about dealing with countries or companies from countries that still adhere to the Arab League boycott.

The Arab League boycott has been in place since 1948, when the State of Israel was established and five Arab armies invaded but were not successful in their efforts to make the Jewish state stillborn. Since that time, there have been several other wars and then two peace agreements between Arab League members ? Egypt and Jordan ? and Israel. Egypt and Jordan are countries which do not adhere to the anti-Israel boycott any long, but there are several countries which still do and which have little public interest in ending the boycott and/or seeking peace with Israel.